Supply-case.



H. F. WALLACE.

SUPPLY GASB.

APPLIGATIIO'N FILED APR. 27, 1909.

Patented May 3, 1910.

E k BEBEE BEE B EEEEEEEEEQM 1 lliallllllllll |||I||||||l|| W| m llllllIllllllllllllll-l [lLllllllIlll'lll HOWARD F. WALLACE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

SUPPLY-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May a, 1910.

Application filed April 2'7, 1909. Serial No. 492,600.

T 0 all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD F. WVALLAOE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Supply-Case, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a case for containing jewelers supplies or other small articles, in such manner that the same will be readily accessible at all times, either for use in manufacture or as samples.

The main object of the invention is to provide for holding a large variety of small articles, in small space and in convenient arrangement for inspection, access and removal.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention, and referring thereto:

Figure 1 is a perspective of the case. Fig. 2 is a plan of one of the trays or drawers of the case, with the article receiving and separating devices therein contained. Fig. 3 is a perspective of a part of one of the trays, showing one manner of constructing the separating devices for the articles. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through a part of a row of the article receivers. Fig. 5 is a per spective showing a different form of the means for separating and holding the articles.

The case 1 is provided with a plurality of drawers or trays 2, one above another, each having a handle to enable it to be partly or wholly withdrawn from the case. Said drawers or trays are formed with vertical walls 3, said walls being preferably low so as to form a shallow drawer. Article receptacles 4 are supported in the drawers 2, said receptacles consisting of rectangular boxes or canisters, resting on the bottom of the drawer. Said boxes are arranged in rows, each row extending from the front to the back of the drawer, and the several rows being side by side. To separate the boxes into rows, and hold them in position, strip means are used, extending from the front to the back of the drawer, and fitting between the rows of boxes. Covers 7 are provided for the boxes or receptacles and the strip means aforesaid are also provided with means for retaining and guiding said covers. The strip means may be formed in any suitable manner for these purposes. Thus, as

shown in Fig. 3, each of said strip means may consist of two inner angle strips 8, placed back to back, and having outwardly directed flanges 9, at their upper ends, and two outer angle strips 10, of less height than the strips 8, placed against the outside of strips 8 and having outwardly extending flanges 11 at their upper ends. The spaces or grooves 12 between the flanges 9 and 11 form guideways for the reception and guidance of the covers 7, said covers being slidable forwardly or rearwardly in said guideways. At the oustide of each of the exterior rows, but one strip 8 and one strip 10 is required, as shown in Fig. 3. In each row there is one less cover than there is box or box-space, so that space is left for free movement of the row of covers, to the extent of the length of one cover. The strip means are retained in position by an angle strip 13 at the front and rear end of the drawer, the flanges 14 of said angle strip engaging over the strip 8 to hold said strips 8 in position.

In using the case, for example, as a supply case, the articles to be supplied are placed in the receptacles or boxes 4, the front box of each row being preferably left empty, or said front box may be inverted, if desired. The row of covers 7 is normally pushed to extreme rearward position, leaving the front box or space of each row uncovered, as shown in Fig. 1. In this position of the covers, each cover is directly over the box to which said cover corresponds, and each cover is preferably marked to indicate the contents of the corresponding box. Immediate access to any box can be secured by pushing the cover of said box forward, as shown in Fig. 4, the covers in front thereof moving forward at the same time, thus exposing the box containing the articles desired.

The strip means for separating the boxes and retaining and guiding the covers may be formed in other ways, for example, as shown in Fig. 5. Each set of strip means may comprise an inner strip means 17, formed of sheet metal bent double, with its edges bent out to form oppositely directed flanges 18 and the outer strip members 19 having their upper edges bent out to form two oppositely directed flanges 20, the groove between the flanges 18 and 20 forming a retainer and guide for the covers 7 of the boxes 4;.

The article receptacles being formed as separate boxes resting on the bottom of the tray, and the separate strip means being formed as removable members held in place only by the article receptacles, by the walls of the tray, and by the end retaining strips 14, a construction is provided in which all the parts are removable and replaceable at will, giving a unit construction which can be adapted or built into drawers of different sizes.

Vhat I claim is:

1. A case for the purposes stated, comprising a tray having walls, article receptacles formed as separate boxes resting on said tray and arranged in rows, covers for said receptacles and strip means extending between said rows of article receptacles, and provided above said receptacles with means for retaining and guiding the covers of said receptacles, said strip means being removably held in position by the receptacles and the walls of the tray.

2. A case for the purposes stated, comprising a tray having walls, article receptacles resting on said tray and arranged in rows, covers for said receptacles strip means extending between said rows of article receptacles and provided above said receptacles with means for retaining and guiding the covers of said receptacles, the number of covers in each row being one less than the number of receptacles to enable sliding movement of the covers to expose any one of the receptacles.

3. A case for the purposes stated, comprising a tray having walls, article receptacles formed as separate boxes resting on said tray and arranged in rows, covers for said receptacles strip means extending between said rows of article receptacles and provided above said receptacles with means for retaining and guiding the covers of said receptacles, the number of covers in each row being one less than the number of receptacles to enable sliding movement of the covers to expose any one of the receptacles, each of said strip means comprising angle strips with flanges extending over and under the covers said strip means being removably supported within the tray by engagement with the receptacles and the walls of the tray.

i. A case for the purposes stated, comprising a tray having walls, article receptacles formed as separate boxes resting on said tray and arranged in rows, covers for said receptacles strip means extending between said rows of article receptacles and provided above said receptacles with means for retaining and guiding the covers of said receptacles, the number of covers in each row be ing one less than the number of receptacles to enable sliding movement of the covers to expose any one of the receptacles, and an angle strip at the forward and rear ends of the separating strip means and having a flange extending over said strip means to hold the same in place said strip means being remoi'ably supported within the tray by engagement with the receptacles and the walls of the tray.

In a case for the purpose stated, a tray, a plurality of rows of boxes removably resting on the bottom of the tray, a pair of strips extending between each of the adjacent rows of boxes and having outwardly directed flanges extending over the tops of said boxes, strap means extending between said pair of strips and having outwardly directed flanges extending above the first named flanges to form longitudinal grooves, and covers for said boxes slidably mounted in said grooves, the number of covers being one less than the number of boxes in each row.

6. In a case for the purpose stated, a tray, a plurality of rows of boxes removably resting on the bottom of the tray, a pair of strips extending between each of the adjacent rows of boxes and having outwardly directed flanges extending over the tops of said boxes, strip means extending between said pair of strips and having outwardly directed flanges extending above the first named flanges to form longitudinal grooves, covers for said boxes slidably mounted in said grooves, the number of covers being one less than the number of boxes in each row, and a strip at each end of the tray extending between the end box and the wall of the tray, said strip having a flange extending over the top of the aforesaid strip means to hold the latter in place.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set I-IOIVARD F. IVALLACE.

In presence of FREDERICK S. LYON, FRANK L. A; GRAHAM. 

